Juvic's Asian OOM title in the bag

MANILA, Philippines - Juvic Pagunsan virtually bagged the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit title by safely making it to the weekend play of the Hong Kong Open and chief pursuer SSP Chowrasia missing the cut at the Hong Kong Golf Club in Fanling yesterday.

Pagunsan leads Chowrasia by around $290,000 in their battle for the coveted crown and with the former assuring himself of additional earnings and the latter out of the money race, the ace Filipino shotmaker will head to the final leg in Thailand next week sure of the OOM title.

The $1 million Thailand Championship, slated Dec. 8-11, in Bangkok, stakes a top purse of less than $200,000.

Pagunsan, meanwhile, blew a solid start and settled for an even par 70, dropping from joint ninth to a share of 17th halfway through the $2.75 million event still paced by world No. 2 Rory McIlroy and Spain’s Alvaro Quiros.

Pagunsan, who made an impressive start of 68 in his final push to claim the OOM crown, came through with back-to-back birdies from No. 11 where he teed off. But he failed to sustain his pace and made bogeys on Nos. 14 and 18, went one-under with another birdie on No. 4 but lost the stroke with another bogey mishap on No. 7.

With a 138 aggregate at the par-70 layout, Pagunsan fell farther back by five off McIlroy and Quiros, who followed up their lead-tying 64s with 69s for 133s.

The duo took a one-shot lead over Richie Ramsay and Panuphol Pittayarat, who fired a 66 and 65, respectively, for 134s while Danny Lee (65), Pariya Junhasavasdikul (65) and Miguel Angel Jimenez (70) stood at 135.

Tony Lascuna carded a second 72 and missed the cut pegged at 142 while Mars Pucay made a 73 and fell by the wayside with a 145, leaving Pagunsan as the lone Filipino survivor in the event.